Quick Start Guide: ATA8510 Out Of Box Demo for ATA8510 Curiosity Board

Devices: | ATA8510 |

Features: | RF Message Transmission | RF Message Reception |

The ATA8510 Curiosity Board comes pre-programmed and configured for demonstrating Out-of-Box (OOB) demo.

Table of Contents

1. Overview

2. Getting Started

   1. Prerequisites
      1. Hardware Requirements
   2. Procedure To Execute Out-of-Box (OOB) Demo
   3. Execution Flow For Out-of-Box (OOB) Demo

3. Customization of Out-of-the-Box(OOB) Demo

   1. Prerequisites
      1. Hardware Requirements
      2. Software Requirements
   2. Hardware Connections
   3. Procedure For Customization Of Out-of-the-Box(OOB) Demo Using MPLABX IDE
   4. Procedure For Customization Of Out-of-the-Box(OOB) Demo For Certification

4. Appendix

   1. Procedure For Programming ATA8510 Precompiled Out-of-the-Box(OOB) Image Using MPLABX IPE
   2. Procedure For Programming ATA8510 Precompiled Out-of-the-Box(OOB) Image Using Microchip Studio
   3. Creating a Unified .hex File For OOB Programming
   4. Modification Of EEPROM Data Settings Using The EEPROM Configuration Tool

5. Want To Know More?

1. Overview

This page describes the Out of Box (OOB) operation of the ATA8510 Curiosity Board. ATA8510 Curiosity Board is designed for industrial Radio Frequency (RF) applications. The ATA8510 Curiosity Board is pre-programmed with firmware that can be configured as Transmitter/Receiver based on the switch configuration and indicated using the LED's. The RF application facilitates communication by transmitting RF telegrams from the RF transmitter, which are then received by the receiver, with the reception indicated by the blinking of LEDs. The RF link operates on channel 433.92 MHz at an 8 kBit/s data rate using Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) modulation with Manchester encoding.

The ATA8510 Curiosity Board layout can be seen below.

2. Getting Started

The ATA8510 Curiosity Board Out-of-Box (OOB) Demo demonstrates its standalone operation and basic RF Transmission and RF Reception capabilities.

2.1 Prerequisites

2.1.1 Hardware Requirements

• ATA8510 Curiosity Board - 2
• USB Type-C cable - 2

2.2 Procedure To Execute Out-of-Box (OOB) Demo

1. Power up ATA8510 Curiosity Boards by connecting a USB Type-C cable on USB connector J201.
2. ATA8510 Curiosity Boards operate at both 3.3V and 5V. By default, the jumper settings on the ATA8510 Curiosity Board are configured for 3.3V.
3. Depending on the voltage at which the ATA8510 Curiosity Board needs to be evaluated, select the appropriate jumper settings from the table below.

Jumper Settings: VS = 3.3V (Default)	Jumper Settings: VS = 5V
J103 - Connect the Jumper to Program the ATA8510 Curiosity Board	J103 - Connect the Jumper to Program the ATA8510 Curiosity Board
J105 - Short Pin 1 and 2 for Standalone Configuration	J105 - Short Pin 2 and 3 for Standalone Configuration
J107 - Jumper is connected	J107 - Jumper is not connected

4. The ATA8510 Curiosity Boards can be set up as either a transmitter or a receiver by following the steps outlined below.

• Steps to configure ATA8510 Curiosity Board as Receiver

  • Long press SW101 to configure ATA8510 Curiosity Board as Receiver.
  • The ATA8510 Curiosity Board is now configured as a receiver.
  • The green LED turning on indicates that the board is operating as a Receiver.
  • It can receive messages transmitted by ATA8510 Curiosity Board.
  • The green LED blinks three times whenever a message is received.

ATA8510 as Receiver: VS = 3.3V	ATA8510 as Receiver: VS = 5V

• Steps to configure ATA8510 Curiosity Board as Transmitter

  • Short press SW101(Once)
  • The ATA8510 Curiosity Board is now configured as a transmitter.
  • The red LED(D102) blinks indicating that the board is operating as a Transmitter.
  • A message will be transmitted each time the SW101 switch is pressed and the red LED(D102) will blink each time the message is sent.

ATA8510 as Transmitter: VS = 3.3V	ATA8510 as Transmitter: VS = 5V

2.3 Execution Flow for Out-of-the-Box(OOB) Demo

3. Customization of Out-of-the-Box(OOB) Demo

3.1 Prerequisites

3.1.1 Hardware Requirements

• ATA8510 Curiosity Board - 2
• USB Type-C cable - 2
• Atmel ICE Programmer Or PowerDebugger or PICkit4 or PICkit5

3.1.2 Software Requirements

• MPLABX IDE

  • Download the latest version of MPLABX IDE from the following link: MPLABX IDE
  • It is essential to update the Out-of-the-Box(OOB) Demo code.

• Microchip Studio (Optional Requirement)

  • Download the latest version of Microchip Studio from the following link: Microchip Studio
  • It is essential to update the Out-of-the-Box(OOB) Demo code.

• EEPROM Configuration Tool

  • Using the EEPROM Configuration Tool is optional if the user chooses to use the default configuration provided by Microchip in the .hex file.
  • Users can customize the EEPROM configuration, including RF parameters such as frequency, data rate, modulation, bandwidth, deviation, etc., as needed using the EEPROM Configuration Tool.
  • For more information, please refer to the Appendix Section 4.4

• Download the latest version of OOB unified .hex image (with included EEPROM Image) for programming from the releases tab.

3.2 Hardware Connections

1. Power up ATA8510 Curiosity Board by connecting a USB Type-C cable on jumper J201.
2. Depending on the voltage at which the ATA8510 Curiosity Board needs to be programmed, select the appropriate jumper settings from the table mentioned in Section 2.2
3. Connect the ATMEL ICE to the ISP connector J104.

3.3 Procedure for Customization of Out-of-the-Box(OOB) Demo Source Code using MPLABX IDE

1. Launch MPLAB X IDE.

   • Open MPLAB X IDE from your Start menu or desktop shortcut.

2. Open the Out-of-the-Box(OOB) Demo project located at \rfa_projects\ATA8510 EVK\OOB\src\firmware\ata851x_ curiosity.X

   • Select "File" > "Open Project"
   • Navigate to the appropriate .X project file

   

3. Modify Project.

   

4. Build and Program the Project.

• Right-click the project and select "Make and Program Device," or use the toolbar icon to build and program the updated firmware onto ATA8510 Curiosity Board.

3.4 Procedure for Customization of Out-of-the-Box(OOB) Demo for Certification

FCC/CE/KCC Certification

• For certification purposes, the OOB standalone device is utilized as a continuous transmitter, while the Host Application functions as the receiver.

• To configure the OOB standalone device as a continuous transmitter, the following code modifications are required. Replace the code highlighted in red with the code highlighted in green.

  

• The OOB code can be used for the certifications listed below:

  • EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) certification
  • KCC (Korean Communications Commission) certification
  • Federal Communications Commission(FCC) certification
  • Conformité Européenne (CE) certification

• Depending on the certification type, the modulation type, power, data rate, and deviation should be configured according to the table below.

	FCC/ISED/NCC		CE		KCC
Power Setting in EEPROM	4dBm	4dBm	6dBm	6dBm	3dBm	5dBm
Frequency	433.92MHz		433.92MHz		433.92MHz
Modulation	FSK	ASK	FSK	ASK	FSK	ASK
Data Rate	40kBit/s	40kBit/s	40kBit/s	8kBit/s	40kBit/s	8kBit/s
FSK Deviation	40kHz	NA	40kHz	NA	40kHz	NA

• Refer to the images below for the required modifications to be made using ATA851x EEPROM Config Tool.

4. Appendix

4.1 Procedure for Programming ATA8510 Precompiled Out-of-the-Box(OOB) Image Using MPLABX IPE

To program the ATA8510 Curiosity Board with Out-of-the-Box(OOB) Demo, follow these steps using MPLABX IPE

1. Launch MPLAB X IPE
   • Open MPLAB X IPE from your Start menu or desktop shortcut.
2. Select the Device
   • In the "Device" field, select ATA8510.
   • Click Apply.

   

3. Select the Tool
   • Under the "Tool" section, select your connected programmer/debugger (e.g., ATMEL ICE , PICkit 4).

   

4. Load the HEX File
   • Click "Browse" next to Hex File.

   
   * Navigate to .hex file and select it.The full path should now appear in the field.

   

5. Program the Device
   • Under the "Operate" tab, click Program.

   
   * Monitor the output window for messages like Programming/Verify complete.

   

4.2 Procedure for Programming ATA8510 Precompiled Out-of-the-Box(OOB) Image using Microchip Studio

To program the ATA8510 Curiosity Board with customized Out-of-the-Box(OOB) Demo, follow these steps using Microchip Studio

Step 1: Open Microchip Studio

• Launch Microchip Studio on your PC.
• Go to Tools → Device Programming.

Step 2: Select Programmer & Device

• A new window will open under Device Programming.
• Under "Tool", select Atmel-ICE.
• Under "Device", choose ATA8510.
• Under "Interface", select ISP.
• Click "Apply".

• Click "Read" button under Device Signature to read the Device ID and Target Voltage.

Step 3: Load the HEX File

• Navigate to the "Memories" tab in the Device Programming window.
• Click "Browse" next to Flash memory.
• Select the HEX file for the firmware update.

• Click "Erase Flash before programming" and "Verify Flash after programming" in the programming window to ensure the firmware was written correctly.

Step 4: Load the hex File

• Navigate to the "Memories" tab in the Device Programming window.
• Click "Browse" next to EEPROM memory.
• Select the .hex file for the firmware update.
• Click "Verify EEPROM after programming" in the programming window to ensure the firmware was written correctly.

Step 4: Flash the Firmware

• Perform a chip erase using “Erase now” before programming.

• Click "Program" to write the HEX file to the ATA8510.
• Wait for the process to be completed.

• Check for success messages in the status window.

Step 6: Flash the EEPROM

• Click "Program" to write the .hex file to the ATA8510.
• Wait for the process to complete.
• Check for success messages in the status window.

4.3 Creating a Unified .hex File For Out-of-the-Box(OOB) Programming Using MPLABX IDE

1. For the OOB project, the EEPROM .hex image will be merged with the OOB application .hex image using the hexmate command in the Build section under Project Properties. As a result, users do not need to program the OOB application image and EEPROM image separately using MPLABX IPE.

   

4.4 Modification of EEPROM Data settings using the EEPROM Configuration Tool

• Using the EEPROM Configuration Tool is optional if the user chooses to use the default configuration provided by Microchip in the .hex file.

• Users can customize the EEPROM configuration, including RF parameters such as frequency, data rate, modulation, bandwidth, deviation, etc., as needed using the EEPROM Configuration Tool.

• EEPROM Configuration Tool can be downloaded from the software section of ATA8510-ek1 product page

• Refer to section 5.4. EEPROM Data Settings Evaluation Kit User Guide to modify EEPROM settings.

  

5. Want to know more? ..

• We have gathered some FAQs and troubleshooting tips for you under the FAQ and Troubleshooting Page.
• Refer to ATA8510 product page and HW user guide.
• Check out EEPROM Configuration Tool to modify RF parameters
• Check out section 5.4. EEPROM Data Settings Evaluation Kit User Guide to modify EEPROM settings.